moonmonday This is a really dull film. It's presented as a faux documentary, but the way it's assembled comes off as obviously fake and unconvincing, which makes it hard to suspend disbelief before even the opening credits.The main characters aren't particularly compelling or likable, and one has to wonder why anyone would take most of them along if all they're going to do is freak out at the slightest indication of weird happenings...after they've blithely engaged in a blood ritual! There's a sort of feeling about the whole affair that seems like they went down a checklist of things you do in found footage horror and added them, not because they made sense with the script, but because they were expected.It's especially odd when things happen like them finding a car they abandoned earlier because it didn't start and having a fit because...it didn't start. They were the ones that left it earlier! There are other leaps of illogic, like "we can't go to the main road, no cars will be on it at this time of night", so of course they don't go. But wouldn't it be a higher chance of cars being on it than a side road nobody knows about to an abandoned house? Couldn't you just wait a couple of hours until the road would be busier? Similarly, at one point they make a circle in salt on the floor and light a candle, saying they'll be safe as long as they stay in the circle. Almost immediately they hear a noise and all of them instantly leave the circle and abandon the candle, which they're shocked to find has gone out by the time they come back. You don't say! Added to this are things like characters just disappearing abruptly, but we don't really see it always happen clearly and it's just something we're supposed to assume after the fact. The incoherent ending was also pretty amazing in its confusion, and it was just an unsatisfying mess.The acting was pretty good for most of the cast, and the photography was also solid enough, even for a found footage film. The scares and effects were mostly pretty good, although some will stand out as ridiculous. There's a shot of something that looks like it was picked up on the cheap at a Spirit Halloween store, and it's very obvious; they don't cut the shot quick enough, so it's easy to notice.The scares start about ten to fifteen minutes from the end, which really is waiting too long. So much nothing happens. It would have been a better film at half its length, and it was barely over an hour. Its short running time makes it worth a watch if vaguely spooky found footage is your thing, but don't expect it to challenge the genre or your expectations, and expect to be disappointed by the ridiculous ending and some of the laughably inane captions the "documentary" provides.It can do some good, solid scares, but for whatever reason it only seems to have about three and they're all saved for the last few minutes. If only they could have sprinkled them throughout the rest of the film to keep it interesting!

Nigel P Found footage films, as a way of telling a story, has really taken off since 'The Blair Witch Project'. The approach has its fans and detractors, but to me remains an intriguing and legitimate way of telling a story. More than that, the approach invites us here to become the sixth member of a five-person group. We are invited into their mildly intimate thoughts by way of their ongoing filmed blogging (designed to be uploaded onto a website specialising in ghost-hunts), and we get to know them all in a way that wouldn't be as effective as if this were a straightforward film. That way, when the whispered legend of 'the Butcher' begin to come true and mildly spooky things start happening in the remote building in which they are staying, the scares make us jump too. We're even mildly irritated when Tara (Stephanie Mauro) is the only one to refuse to produce blood next to her signature when agreeing to take part in the project, although that has fatal repercussion later.Many of the successful elements of 'Blair Witch' are present in this Australian slow-burner (watches stopping, member of the group going missing, trying to escape but going round in circles etc). So while the boxes are ticked, there is no lessening of their impact – this is a successful formula, and 'Beckoning the Butcher' uses it very well. It doesn't reinvent the 'found footage' formula, but it utilises every successful element of the genre. And on a personal note, it works entirely – after watching this I've just tentatively visited every room in my apartment to make sure there is no-one there. Irrational? Embarrassing? Both, more than likely, but if a low-budget film like this can have that effect on a jaded old long-time horror-fan, then 'found footage' is medium that has secured a DIFFERENT way to scare.The five main cast members are good, natural performers. There's no element of 'putting on a show'. Only the physicist Shannon (Janet Watson-Kruse) threatens to dampen the illusion, and that's because she's been lumbered with fanciful eulogising dialogue about 'spiritual intervention' and 'time bubbles.' However, it is her words that come to mind when the group's collective time-pieces stop working. They are captured in perpetual night (3.am) that will not end until 'the Butcher' has had his way with them.'Beckoning the Butcher' is non-specific title, and the DVD cover, featuring the cast in a selection of horrified grimace, could almost suggest a comedy. Don't be fooled, this is no comedy; it is one of the best examples of its kind.

SpannersGerm669 Coming into Beckoning the Butcher, I was expecting nothing. I wanted to like it being from Australia, but I had my hesitations. But I am glad to say that it wasn't a waste of time, in fact, it was quite entertaining.What I liked about this little movie the most was the low budget approach. Now, I know this is out of the hands of the director and if he had his way, I am sure it would be a bigger budget, but for Found Footage, the whole idea is to make you believe that its an amateur found footage. With a higher budget, the authenticity of the whole situation is lost in translation.The way Beckoning the Butcher is made, reminded me of the Blair Witch Project. While not as good as TBWP, it still had the slow burn atmospheric grip, unlike films like Paranormal Activity, which relies on cheap jump scares. Beckoning the Butcher takes its time and it gradually becomes scarier, which is what I appreciated the most.If you are a die hard fan of this sub genre, then definitely check this one out. If you are only a casual fan, or a fan that is fed up with the amount of Found Footage stuff coming out, give it a miss, but I am definitely happy I have it in my collection!

outerhaven101 Horror is no longer in the eye of the beholder, but digitally chronicled and fearfully observed – such is the notion of the 'found footage horror' craze of the past decade that has already seen its fair share of terrifyingly inventive highs to eye-rolling lows, faster than any other sub-genre. Yet unlike the torture porn or neo-grindhouse subgenres, this has bred a whole new generation of talented filmmakers on a far more global scale; innovative in terms of methods of filming, centralized narrative, unexpected scares and all while on the lowest budget possible. It's main selling point. Australian filmmaker Dale Trott (A.K.A. Alexander) is no stranger to this and with Beckoning The Butcher (Interspliced Media's debut effort) he doesn't attempt to reinvent or outdo others but instead revel in a traditionalist approach to the archaic haunted house formula. As such, he succeeds in creating a well-written, character- driven, low budget thriller capitalizes on found footage's core principles.In his latest escapade internet sensation and wannabe-ghost hunter, Chris Shaw (Damien E. Lipp), his girlfriend Tara (Stephanie Mauro), and their closest friends (Sophie Wright, Tilly Legge and Tristan Barr), venture to an isolated countryside property in order to conduct and document a supposed 'blood incantation' found only on the deepest, darkest underbelly of internet web forums. However the group's investigation into the ritual's legitimacy turns sinister as their bid for internet fame rapidly descends into a night of survival when they unknowingly summon forth a malevolent entity known simply as 'the Butcher'. When a low budget film is dipped in enough fright tactics and character development to warrant genuine concern for the welfare and survival of these doomed characters, you know you're in the hands of an incredibly adaptive filmmaker. The only setback for Beckoning The Butcher is guilt by association; the obligatory camera static, distorted sounds, visual trickery akin to that used in Paranormal Activity and the unavoidable comparisons to said franchise aside; however, these stylized motifs are used assuredly, yet as sparingly as possible, within the confines of cinematography. Trott is a triple threat serving as director, writer and editor who cunningly employs the use of the budgetary limitations to his advantage and infuses them into the film's aesthetics resulting in a psychologically effective chiller – thus illuminating Trott's understanding of the cinematic mechanisms behind found-footage's two main staples; timing and execution. The two are enhanced and achieved by opting for far more traditional atmospheric scares à la the works of James Wan and Scott Derrickson, drawing out the anticipation during the relentless stalking of the hapless individuals desperate to outmanoeuvre the Butcher. From ominous beginning to blood curdling end, the symbiotic relationship between the performances and dilapidated property matches the intended psychological approach with vigour, as every faint creak and startling door slam is complimented by the deeply invested cast.A cautionary ghost story for the digital age, Dale Trott's surprisingly cerebral and refined supernatural thriller Beckoning The Butcher is a must see hidden gem for genre fans, especially those of the 'sceptical-till-proven-scared senseless' demographic. Trott's focused screenplay and tight direction intersected with his even tighter editing skills and outstanding sense of timing, boasts an air-tight sense of assertive control and confidence serving as an example for any aspiring filmmaker interested in this sub-genre. Technically proficient the film never forgets to have fun with the standard horror formula, especially during the chilling final act.See the review & more @ http://critics-corner.com/